The Kitten that Adopted Rin
by Silindro
Summary: Complete. Of course she wasn’t allowed to keep it, but who said it couldn’t keep her? Can Sesshoumaru put aside his canine values to make his little girl happy, or will the mean feline steal her heart? Let the fight for Rin begin!
1. Chapter One

The Kitten that Adopted Rin ----  
  
It only seemed fitting that a girl like Rin would follow suit with every other human female of the same age and become attached to something that most certainly did not belong to her. If Sesshoumaru had known anything about young human females, he would have seen the trouble coming long before it had happened. Unluckily for him, he had to face up to the problem when it was presented to him – hairballs and all.  
  
"Can I keep it?"  
  
Sesshoumaru glared down at the innocent little mass of grey and white splotched fur that was clinging and being clung to by his tiny ward. She had a hopeful, pouty expression on her face that dared him to say no.  
  
"Absolutely not."  
  
Jaken grinned to himself as Rin's face fell dramatically and her eyes began to water up with tears. Her bottom lip quivered and she held the kitten closer to her chest, squeezing the breath out of the poor creature. It mewed helplessly.  
  
"But Sesshoumaru-sama, I'll take good care of it!"  
  
"Rin, do not make this Sesshoumaru repeat himself."  
  
"Okay," Rin said dejectedly.  
  
Turning from her lord, Rin walked to the edge of the clearing in which they had stopped. She set the kitten on the ground and shooed him back into the forest from which he had come. Making sure he was long lost among the foliage, Rin turned back to see that Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and Aun had already begun to continue their walk.  
  
Running to catch up, Rin tried to put the kitten in the back of her mind. It wouldn't do to dwell on something that she couldn't have, no matter how much she wanted it. Sesshoumaru was good enough to let her travel with them and keep her out of danger. She didn't want to defy his word and make him angry.  
  
As they walked, Rin thought back to the fuzzy creature that she had found in the forest. It was so tiny and cute with bright blue eyes and small white feet with a little black nose and a twitchy grey tail. She had always wanted a pet, but the closest thing she had ever gotten (at least in size) was Jaken, and he was nothing more than her babysitter.  
  
"Stupid Jaken," she muttered out loud.  
  
The imp looked over his shoulder as if he had heard her words, but she didn't care. She was angry at the injustice of it all. Damnit, she wanted a pet, and sooner or later she was going to have one!  
  
"And it won't be green," she grinned.  
  
It was several hours of walking and silence later that Sesshoumaru declared they would rest for the night and leave early in the morning in search of Naraku and his minions in the east.  
  
While the inu taiyoukai was keeping watch just outside of camp with his faithful, yet bothersome servant Jaken, Rin sat and made good use of their small fire to warm her hands.  
  
As the wood crackled under the heat of the blaze, Rin wondered about the kitten that had followed her back from gathering food that afternoon. Was it okay by itself in the forest? Maybe it had been eaten by some hungry demon. An image of Sesshoumaru feasting on the helpless cat made her shudder involuntarily.  
  
Feeling the fatigue from a day of trekking through some of Japan's harsher forested area, Rin laid down and closed her eyes, fully prepared for a night of dreamless sleep.  
  
"Meow!"  
  
Rin cracked open an eye and was met face to face with a whiskered nose and bright blue kitten eyes. Its ears twitched a bit, and its face hovered close to her own. She jumped in surprise.  
  
"What are you doing here kitty?" she asked quietly so not to alert Sesshoumaru to the feline's presence. "I thought I left you..."  
  
The cat took a tentative step closer to Rin and pawed lightly at the girl's nose. Giggling, Rin reached out and scratched the top of the kitty's head, making it purr contentedly and lean into her hand.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama will be angry if he sees you," Rin said forlornly. "You can't stay here."  
  
Her words were met with a curious kitten stare, followed by a toothy yawn. The kitten brushed up against his human counterpart and curled up in a ball against Rin's stomach. Looking worriedly in the direction that Sesshoumaru was keeping watch, Rin wondered if she should do something about the cat. After all, Sesshoumaru might get angry if he were to come back in the morning and see the animal sleeping beside her.  
  
Then again she worried that if she did do something about the cat, she would get reprimanded for leaving the clearing without an escort. It was a tough situation that she didn't know how to fix.  
  
Being rather indecisive about it all, she figured that if she played dumb, Sesshoumaru couldn't get too angry about the feline following them all the way to their camp. She couldn't even really think about a time when Sesshoumaru had been angry with her at all.  
  
"Maybe if you can be quiet they won't notice that you followed me," she said thoughtfully while stroking the kitten's head.  
  
Closing her eyes, she hoped for the best outcome in the morning.  
  
----  
  
Next Up: Jaken the scratching post, and Sesshoumaru the seemingly unamused, yet very willing onlooker.  
  
a/n: Hope you enjoyed that. Dogs and cats, y'know. Gotta spread the kitten love. Speaking of love, the more love (reviews) you leave me, the fast you get the next chapter. Of course, there should only be a few, mind you. But I'd be more willing to add chaps if I got the right amount of... persuasion.  
  
Oh, and drop me a line on AIM, I'd love to hear some ideas for more SesshyRin adventures.  
  
It's a fanfiction sin to read without reviewing. 


	2. Chapter Two

The Kitten that Adopted Rin ----

The first rays of sunlight peeked through the trees and shined into the sleepy eyes of Rin and her fuzzy companion.  Yawning heavily, she sat up and looked around to see if Jaken or Sesshoumaru were around.  Usually when she woke up they were nearby waiting for ample daylight time to travel, but this morning she did not see them anywhere.

Looking down she saw the grey and white fuzzball sleeping contentedly in the grass by her side.  Fear overtook her for a moment when she realized that Sesshoumaru and Jaken had probably seen the kitten when she was asleep, and that was the reason they weren't around.

Looking around frantically, she spotted Aun grazing a few yards away.  Instantly she calmed, but she still worried that Sesshoumaru might have been angry.

"I wonder where Sesshoumaru-sama went."

Standing, she wandered into the forest in search of something quick for breakfast.  Maybe some berries or mushrooms if they were available.  She forgot about the cat momentarily, her attention on more immediate things like food to quell the aching in her stomach.

Wandering off into the woods, she left the fuzzy, sleeping mini-beast to fend for himself.  And fend for itself it did when the inu taiyoukai came looking for his young ward moments later, waking the kitten up.

"Rin, it's time to-"

Walking into the clearing he was surprised to find not his young ward asleep in the soft bed of grass, but a tiny feline staring up at him with curious blue eyes.  Both seemed to regard each other with caution, neither making a move from their spot.  To anyone watching, it would seem as though they were locked in a battle of will to see who could outlast the other.

Sesshoumaru was the first to make a move, reaching his hand up to point very sharp, very venomous claws in the kitten's direction.  He would intimidate the creature from a short distance and make sure it ran away.

The kitten reached his own hand up and began to lick at his paw.

Sesshoumaru's hand twitched slightly, making a move to reach over and grip the hilt of Toukijin.  He would destroy the bothersome creature effortlessly without having to even make physical contact.

The kitten's tail twitched and it ran straight at Sesshoumaru.

The taiyoukai took a step to the right just in time to let the creature run past his feet and right into the next thing there: Jaken.

"Ahhh!!!"

The imp began to bounce back and forth, waving his hands wildly in the air in fright as the monster sunk its claws into tender green skin.  The screaming did nothing to help the situation of either, as the louder his screaming got, the more ferocious and frightened the kitten became.  Thus the cycle moved on until Rin came running from the forest to help.

"Stop screaming, Jaken-sama," she said, trying to dislodge the cat from Jaken's head.

The cat would have none of it, and only sunk his claws in deeper in a desperate attempt to hold on. 

"Let – go – Kitty!!" Rin said, yanking hard with each accented word.

"Get it off!  Get it off!" Jaken screamed, hopping back and forth. 

"Stop jumping, Jaken-sama!"

Eventually the kitten retracted its claws and both cat and girl went flying down onto the ground at Sesshoumaru's feet.

"Uh oh," Rin said as she looked up at her lord.

Sesshoumaru was scowling down at the girl and the bothersome animal clutched tightly against her chest.  He had told her once to leave the beast, but here it was, as vexing and troublesome as ever.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she began.  "The kitty followed us here…"

"Save your explanations, I do not need them," he sneered.  "Just get rid of it, get it out of my sight."

Scrunching up her nose as Sesshoumaru turned his back to walk away, Rin picked herself up off the ground.  She glared down at the now-innocent-faced kitten.

"You got me in trouble," she accused.  "And you scratched Jaken-sama's face!"

"Meow."

Frustrated with the lack of response to her accusations, Rin turned away from the feline and walked over to help Jaken clean up the scratches on his face. 

"Gomen nasai, Jaken-sama," she offered while dabbing at the cuts with a small bit of cloth that she had snatched from the imp's hand.  "I didn't think the kitty would attack you."

"_Ningen no baka_!" Jaken yelled, his face horribly contorted in rage.  "You should know better than to defy Sesshoumaru-sama!  That animal should be killed and fed to the crows!"

Rin took a step back, dropping the splotchy-red cloth to the ground.

"Jaken-sama…"

"Dispose of it at once, or I will dispose of you!"

Her bottom lip trembling at having been the focus of Jaken's anger, Rin turned and ran back into the woods.  She couldn't see where she was going for the tears had clouded her eyes, and when she tripped and fell on a stubborn tree root, she did not pick herself up off of the ground.

----

_Ningen no baka_ – Stupid human(s).

Next Up:  Tears, tails, and taiyoukai's.  Whoever said curiosity killed the cat didn't take into account that it has nine lives.  And kitty's going to test each and every one of them with the stunt he's going to pull…

a/n: The genre for this was changed from humor to general, as I figured that this is more of Rin's longing for fuzzy companionship.  Of course everyone likes a laugh, so I've thrown in a couple of those as well.  Thanks for your kind words in the reviews, they really encourage me to get on with the writing.

It's a fanfiction sin to read without reviewing.


	3. Chapter Three

a/n: I know that Rin was raised by Tenseiga, but does she really understand that?  I don't think she does, but if you have a differing opinion, my apologies ahead of time for tampering with your viewpoint on the story.

Charge on!

The Kitten that Adopted Rin ----

The longer that Rin decided to lie on the ground crying, the longer that she made Sesshoumaru wait to start the day's journey.  Some part of her mind wondered if he wouldn't decide that she wasn't worth waiting on, and would be better off if left for dead.  Just the thought made a fresh wave of tears cascade down her dirty cheeks.

Vaguely she could feel pain throbbing dully in her knee, the one that had hit the ground first upon her fall.  Even without touching it she could tell that it was tender and swollen.  Maybe sprained, or even broken.

With a debilitating injury, would Sesshoumaru even consider letting her continue to travel with them?

The rustling of leaves made Rin lift her head and wipe at the bleariness that had overtaken her eyes.  After several moments of blinking and snuffling, she finally got a clear view of what stood in front of her, only feet away.

Boots.  Black boots to be exact, and attached to those black boots were a very large pair of white hakama pant legs, and a sash that hung down around the owner's knees.  Looking up, she met a pair of familiar gold eyes that were strangely missing their frigid stare.

"Why are you on the ground?"

"Because I fell."

"You shouldn't have run away."

"Jaken-sama said mean things," she said, her bottom lip quivering as the memory came rushing to the forefront of her mind.  "He said he would get rid of me."

"Did he?"

Rin nodded and tried to stand up, but her knee gave way and she collapsed back into her bed of foliage and dirt.  Frustrated at having to show such weakness in front of a much stronger being, she tried standing once more.  Yet again she found herself laying face down on the ground.

"My knee does not work, Sesshoumaru-sama, I can't get up," she said as the tears welled up in her eyes again.  "I can't get-"

**_-Shing-_**

****

Freezing mid-sentence, Rin looked up into the cool face of her superior.  He had unsheathed one of the swords that he kept so closely by his side, and was beginning to raise it as if to strike.

"No!" she screeched, reaching forward to grab at the soil and pull herself away from the blade.  It was apparent to her that if she couldn't walk, he would just have to kill her. 

His chest gave a painful twinge as she began to crawl away from him, her face contorted in pain, betrayal, and fear.  He didn't want to cut her, but it was for her own good.

"Gomen nasai, Sesshoumaru-sama," she pleaded, "I did not mean to make you angry!  Gomen nasai, g-gomen nasai …"  Her voice was overtaken by sobs and the occasional fearful and disbelieving plead for her life.

Dropping the sword into the ground beside him, he knelt down and rested his hand on Rin's back to try and calm her.  She was going into hysterics, making more noise than he'd ever heard her make in the short time that she'd been traveling with him.

"This Sesshoumaru will not harm you, he only intended to heal you."

Shaking, Rin turned her head to take a glance at the sword that was sticking up out of the ground a few feet away.  What else could that thing do but harm her?  Swords were made for killing, not healing, and he had raised it to strike.

"Tenseiga saved your life before; it will mend your wounds now."

The bond that she kept with Sesshoumaru was strong, and she knew now that she had been foolish in thinking that he was going to harm her.  Turning around to face him, she pointed at the knee that was giving her problems. 

"This one."

----

Later that night when things were settled and Rin had dozed off into a calm, restful sleep, Sesshoumaru sat on his usual guard, waiting for dawn to rise so they could continue their travels.  As he sat perched on a fallen log mere feet from where Rin had bedded down, he smelled the troublesome scent of a cat that hadn't the good sense to leave when it wasn't wanted.

Darting his eyes back to the sleeping girl, he expected to see the feline curled up in sleep beside its chosen mistress.  Surprisingly, there was no sign of the creature.  Maybe the smell had only been a passing odor carried with the wind.  He could only hope.

No such luck.

"Meow!"

Growling low in his throat, the taiyoukai watched the kitten stroll out onto the grass mere feet away.  It gave the demon a casual, offhand glance over its shoulder before plopping down on the ground and beginning to groom itself.

Sesshoumaru watched in astonishment as the cat ignored the mortal danger into which he had placed himself.  Obviously it was either very brave or very foolish.

Hearing Rin murmur something in her sleep, Sesshoumaru was momentarily distracted from his thoughts of feline homicide.  He turned his attention to the child to make sure that she was alright before looking back to the now-empty spot that the kitten had occupied.

Blinking lazily, he wondered where the animal had gotten to.

His question was answered moments later when the tip of his bushy, white tail – barely brushing against the ground – was subjected to the paw-batting of a suicidal kitten that had nothing better with which to keep itself amused.

Narrowing his eyes until they were nothing but slits of gold upon his face, he glared down at the grey mass of fur and annoyance.

Two slits of blue eyes glared right back.

A white paw dared to bat again.

Reaching down, he picked the beast up by the nape of its neck and held it several feet off the ground to inspect.  The kitten made very little fuss, seeming to inspect right back.

Such odd things kittens were with their whiskers and button noses.  They smelled awful and caused nothing but trouble for everyone that was cursed enough to encounter them.

Of course, they did have their uses where meddlesome and petulant servants were concerned.  Jaken was especially at odds with the kitten, as he broke out into fits of sneezes and itchy rashes whenever the cat was nearby.  Added to the beating he had gotten after Sesshoumaru returned from the forest with Rin, Jaken was in a bad way.

Chuckling, Sesshoumaru wondered where the imp had gone. 

"You are more trouble than you are worth," the inu lord said amusedly to his counterpart.

Reaching out a clawed paw, the kitten touched Sesshoumaru's nose.

"Everything you do causes more difficulty than you could ever comprehend."

The kitten mewed softly, clearly not afraid of the judgment being passed up him.

"This Sesshoumaru does not like you," he explained.

The kitten yawned, exposing rows of sharp teeth.  It was obvious that the cat did not understand or care about what Sesshoumaru had to say. 

"If it were not for Rin, you would be dead," he said while lowering the cat to the ground. "Be thankful that she is fond of you, for she is the reason I will allow you to stay."

----

a/n:  How's that for an ending?  Of course it isn't _the_ ending, but only a few chapters left to go – if that. 

Enjoyed?  Didn't enjoy?  Tell me about it!  Looking forward to your reviews.  And check my author page for more SesshyRin goodness!

It's a fanfiction sin to read without reviewing.


	4. Chapter Four

The Kitten that Adopted Rin ----  
  
As was the eternal cycle of the seasons, autumn drove through and fell into winter, bringing with it a chill in the air that just wouldn't do for travel. The threat of snow had driven Sesshoumaru and his entourage of followers into a temporary suspension of travel, sheltering in his palace somewhere in the West.  
  
Being cooped up in his seasonal dwelling had never pleased the inu taiyoukai, but he wouldn't risk Rin's safety by leaving her alone in the palace to stretch his legs somewhere else in Japan. Though he had to admit that the laughter of a child did make for a more tolerant atmosphere.  
  
This mattered little, however, as Sesshoumaru spent most of his time in the study, taking care of the stacks of correspondence letters with neighboring youkai lords and other important tasks. Being away all the time made it difficult to keep up with the post and other duties.  
  
Dipping his quill into the ink, Sesshoumaru scribbled down a personal memorandum in his journal. He scratched at the bound parchment of his book until the page was nearly halfway filled. The ink was allowed to dry before the pages were flipped through briefly and then closed altogether.  
  
Feeling that it was late, the demon lord began to put his things away in their places, just as he had the previous night, and every night before it. He walked to the other side of the room to put his scrolls in their diamond-shaped racks on the far wall. Noticing that several of the scrolls were out of place, he took his time placing them correctly before returning to his desk.  
  
It was there that he stopped to survey the damage that had been done in the two minutes that he had been gone.  
  
Ink prints in the shape of tiny kitten feet were tracked all over the wood of his desk, and on the new passage that he had written in his journal. There was a large smear of ink near where his quill sat, now devoid of several large feathers, several of which were lying in his chair.  
  
Which was also speckled with kitten tracks.  
  
Along with the floor, leading to the door and out into the hallway.  
  
Cursing himself for leaving the door to his study open even an inch, he followed the trail out and down the corridor to Rin's room where the prints had then faded into nothing.  
  
Glancing inside, he noticed several overturned teacups laying in puddles on the floor, and her favorite doll was laying in the middle of her futon with a large tear down the middle.  
  
Shutting the door more loudly and harshly than he would have on any other circumstance, he walked to the end of the hall and glanced in at the library to make sure that there were no books laying torn into shreds by amateur claws. Maybe he would think about putting a door on that room especially, instead of leaving it open for anyone or anything to walk in.  
  
Hearing laughter in the main sitting room, he walked further down the hall and stood in the doorway. Rin was playing with several paper figures that she had torn from some spare parchment that he had given her days before. Jaken, ever the lowly servant, was playing along very unwillingly.  
  
Not wanting to disturb, Sesshoumaru left the two to their games, and walked into the most unlikely of places for Rin's cat to hide: the master bedroom.  
  
No one was allowed in Sesshoumaru's bedroom but himself, and it was very unlikely that the cat would manage to sneak in. Especially if he knew what was good for him.  
  
Of course, the cat had no self respect, and obviously no fear, so it did not surprise the taiyoukai all that much to see the feline laying contentedly in the middle of his futon. There was a content smirk that grazed the cat's features.  
  
"Do you not value your life?" Sesshoumaru asked, reaching over to strangle the bothersome creature.  
  
The cat turned his head into Sesshoumaru's outstretched hand and began to rub against the palm. A soft purring began and soon the animal's eyes closed tight in happiness.  
  
"Disgraceful," he spat, glancing over his shoulder to the open doorway.  
  
Reaching down, he picked up a small furry foot to inspect for the ink that had ruined his desk and his favorite chair. What he saw was a very clean, pink pad and very clean, fuzzy fur.  
  
"What-"  
  
A squeal of delight erupted from down the hall, closely followed by Rin's happy shout.  
  
"There's a new kitty!"  
  
Sesshoumaru growled.  
  
----  
  
a/n: The story of Rin's doll is the first Inuyasha fanfiction that I ever wrote. It's tons better than this story, and I urge you to check it out. I would offer apologies for the late and lame ending, but now that it's over, I'm free to write more one-shots that I'm so much better at.  
  
Hope you enjoyed, and thanks or all your kind reviews!!  
  
It's a fanfiction sin to read without reviewing. 


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